The agency qualifies a thunderstorm as severe if it includes any of the following: 90 km/h gusts, 2 cm-thick hail, 50 mm/h rain and a tornado. It warned of large chunks of hail, strong winds and intense lightning.

Despite pelting rain and rolling thunder, Toronto was not included in the watch.

Streets were flooded with water at Rexdale Blvd. and Islington Ave., delaying traffic in the area.

Meanwhile, floodwater at Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Park Lawn Rd. reached car doors, Const. Tony Vella said. He said the water was likely due to a poor drainage system or spillover from the sewer.

The storm knocked out power to a section of Yonge-Dundas Square, resulting in a cancellation of Tuesday night’s movie screening.

North of the city, a bolt of lightning struck a transformer in Markham, cutting off power for about 4,000 residences in the city’s southeast region in the early afternoon.

Electricity was restored for 2,000 customers by 2:45 p.m. The residences that remained in the dark were expected to have power by 4 p.m. at the latest, a spokesperson from Powerstream said.

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